Chance controlled magnetic pieces and board game apparatus



Jan. 3. 1956 J R LARSON A 2,729,451

CHANCE CONTROLLED MAGNETIC PIECES AND BOARD GAME APPARATUS Filed March29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG-4 INVENTOR. J Russell Larson Jan. 3. 1956J R LARSON 2,729,451

CHANCE CONTROLLED MAGNETIC PIECES AND BOARD GAME APPARATUS Filed March29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. J Russell Larson United StatesPatent CHANCE CONTROLLED MAGNETHC PIECES AND BOARD GAME APPARATUS JRussell Larson, Spokane, Wash., assignorto Sanzl Gabriel Sons & Company,New York, N. Y.

Application March 29, 1954, Serial No. 419,237 4 Claims. (Ci. 273-434)This invention relates to board game apparatus and is intended primarilyto provide a game of chance and competition.

In order that the principles of the invention may be readily understoodI have disclosed a single embodiment thereof in the accompanyingdrawings wherein,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pyramidal board having a playingfield for the game, the respective spaces being clearly represented;

Figures la and lb are perspective views of modified pyramidal boards;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the pyramidal board in a foldedposition;

Figure 3 is a transverse cross section of the board;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section of one hinge joint;

Figure 5 represents in perspective the dice used to determine the extentor length of the moves of the players along the path or course;

Figure 6 is a view partially in cross section disclosing one of thesymbols or tokens used by the several players respectively andreleasably held by magnetism on the playing board surfaces;

Figures 7 and 8 represent the six faces of the dice and theirrelationship to each other in plan, the distinctive colors beingindicated thereon according to the chart for draftsman in the PatentOfiice Rules of Practice;

Figure 9 represents a portion of the path or course over which theplaying pieces are moved; and

Figures 10, 11, 12, and 13 are plan views of the several plane surfacesforming the playing field for the game.

Before describing the game in detail, I will set forth certain of thesalient features thereof and the general purpose of the game which isprimarily one of competition and chance. Much of the interest in thegame lies in the necessity of throwing the dice to display certain colorcombinations whereby a player may make an advantageous move whileperpetrating a disadvantage upon one of his opponents.

While I have illustrated and will now describe in detail the specificembodiment of my invention involving various aspects of mountainclimbing, it is to be understood that in its broader sense my inventionis not limited to the representation or simulation (among otherfeatures) of mountain climbing bases inasmuch as other types of spacesand locations are comprehended within the scope thereof.

As will be hereinafter set forth there are in the repre sentedembodiment of the invention two main paths or courses terminatingadjacent to the apex of the playing board. The paths or courses start atthe base of the pyramidal playing board, each at four distinct places,and converge as they progress upwardly into a single path.

Each path is provided with a plurality of spaces which may be identifiedby location, number, or color and in this embodiment as shown in Figure9, color is employed. The colors of the spaces coincide with the severalcolors apparent on the dice.

Each player is provided with a playing piece differentiated from theothers, as by color, and the play is individually determined by a throwof the dice. The players seek to advance their respective playing piecesto the summit of the mountain, the first one doing so being the winner.

Certain of the spaces denote penalties or benefits for one alightingthereon and will be fully set forth in the ensuing specific descriptionof the selected embodiment of the invention to which, however, thisinvention is not limited excepting as hereinafter set forth in theclaims.

The board as a whole is indicated at 10 in Figure l and is pyramidal inshape having four plane surfaces upon which the playing field isinscribed as by lithographing or other process. Inasmuch as the playingboard is pyramidal in shape and represents a mountain, I prefer toprovide the game with a name including the word mountain or an analogousword, and the title, Climb the Highest Mountain is indicated at 11 alongthe base edge of each triangular section of the game board 10.

The game board is preferably formed of a magnetizable metal such as ironor steel and is formed of a number of triangular plane sections 12 whichare hingedly united along their side edges 13 in such a way that theirapexes form a vertex 14. I have found that any number more than two ofsections 12 may be hingedly united at their side edges 13 to provide apyramidal effect as long as the aggregate of the angles of their apexesis less than 360 the amount less than this amount determining thevertical angle or slope of the plane of each section 12. It is also tobe noted that where four plane sections are employed, two of theopposing sections 12 may have an elongated top edge and thus provide aridge 14a at the vertex instead of a point (Figure 1a). In the eventthat all of the plane sections are provided with an elongated upper edgethe board will be formed with a central aperture 1412 (Figure lb). It isalso obvious that the board may be formed in a conical shape if desired.However, for the most practical application it is desired that the board10 may be folded and therefore, the construction and arrangementdisclosed in Figure 1 is preferable. The hinging means along theadjoining edges 13 provides for this folding as illustrated in Figure 2of the drawing.

Inspection of Figure 4 will reveal that the hinge for each adjoiningside edge 13 may assume the form of a flexible tape 15 which isadheringly secured at 16 to the marginal underside face of contiguoussections 12. It is obvious that the hinge may take other well-knownforms if found desirable in the manufacturing thereof.

Marked along the upper playing surface of the game board 10 are variouspictorial illustrations representing glaciers and lesser mountains orprojections simulating an actual mountain, such as Mount Everest hereshown. Traversing the playing field of the game board are two main pathsor courses indicated in general by the numeral 17 each of which extendsin serpentine fashion from four play initiating spaces or main bases andconverge into a unitary path in advance of the summit or vertex of theplaying board 10. The paths are each made up of a plurality of spaces 18which are independently identifiable by position and in the presentdisclosure, by color. The colors of said spaces coinciding with thecolor spots present upon the plane surfaces of the dice 19 which areemployed to control the movement of play. Certain ones of the spaces 20are designated as spaces which indicate intermediate camping bases andothers of the spaces 21 are provided with undulatory rings surroundingthe space and have instructions associated therewith controlling theactions of the player for the time being resting thereon.

Referring to Figures 5, 7, and 8, the dice are shown to be individualcubes having six plane surfaces and on these surfaces are circularpatches of color. On one die the colors are green, orange, yellow, blue,red and purple and on the other die the colors are green, white, yellow,pink, red, and black. It will thus be seen that on both dice there aretwo patches of each of the colors green, yellow, and red, and of theother colors there is but one each. The various intermediate bases'20are each white and the finish of the paths at the vertex or summit 14 ofthe mountain is also white requiring that a player throw the dice sothat a white patch is displayed to rest upon an intermediate base 20 andalso to complete the game.

Referring now to Figure 6, I have shown one of the eight (more or less)playing pieces 22. It is here disclosed as containing a permanent magnet23 in its base portion .and is provided with a simulated flag 24 at itsupper end. Each playing piece is colored or otherwise differentiatedfrom the others to enable the players to distinguish their individualplaying pieces from those of their opponents. The colors of the severalplaying pieces are green, black, blue, pink, white, yellow, orange,purple, and coincide with the dice spots. There are of course eightplaying pieces for the game as disclosed, however, this number is oflittle importance as the playing field may be altered to accommodate anynumber of players it found desirable. The players move from space tospace in accordance with the throw of the dice in an attempt to reachthe summit or apex 14 first.

When the dice are thrown, two patches of color will be displayed andthese colors control in the movement of the particular playing piece ofthe player whose turn it is to play.

Referring to Figure 9, if the dice display a purple and a white patchthe player must choose one of the colors and thence move from main baseNo. l to the next successive color or space according to his choice.That is, if he has chosen purple, he would move from main base 1 to thefirst purple space on his path. If he has chosen white he would movefrom main base 1 to the first successive intermediate base which iswhite. But in the event the dice display a pink and a white spot theplayer must choose one and move accordingly, that is, to theintermediate base if he chooses white and to the pink spot or spacebeyond the base if he chooses pink. In the event a player rolls Onecolor, such as pink, and an opponents token which is not of the pinkcolor is resting upon the next pink space the player at .his option maydisplace the opponent from the pink space, returning him to the nextbase to the rear or he may ignore the pink space upon which theopponentis resting and advance to the next successive pink space. If an opponenthaving a token of a certain color rests 'upon the space of the samecolor and a player rolls this colorand no other move ispossible, theplayer rolling the color must return to the next base to the rear as apenalty. 'When the players token lands upon a spot having an undulatorycircle concentric therewith, his move must be controlled by theinstructions associated therewith, such as land slide, return to mainbase; or rough weather, lose next turn; or oxygen low, return'to baseNo. 3. Obviously, the instructions associated with any one penalty'space21 will be made according to its position.

Two tokens may not occupy the same space except at bases. In the event ared spot turns up on the die the expedition must return to the last nextsuccessive spot rearwardly and of the same color as the spot upon whichit was resting. if two such spots turn up then the players token isreturned two such color spots or if they are not available, to the mainbase. In any throw of the dice, if the colors are not available, theexpedition remains on the space occupied prior to the throw.

in starting the game the several players each selects a playing piece ofa color desired and the playing piece is then placed upon the main baseNo. l of the same color. One player is chosen to play first and the playis then rotated clockwise. Each player as he lands upon a space or areaas a result of his throw of the dice places his playing piece or symbolupon such space or area throughout the course of the game and the playerfirst reaching summit or vertex 14 is declared to be the winner of thegame.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of the invention it isto be understood that although specific terms are employed they are usedin a generic and descriptive sense and not for the purpose oflimitation. The scope of the invention being set forth in the followingclaims wherein I claim:

1. A game comprising the combination of a game board formed of at leastthree planar solid sections of polygonal form tapering in width fromtheir bottom to their top and connected along their side edges to forman enclosure, the sections carrying indicia providing tracks leadingfrom the bottom of the sections upward to at least one goal with thetracks having a plurality of stations and merging on their way to thegoal, playing pieces movable along the tracks from station to station,and chance means for determining the successive advances of theindividual playing pieces.

2. The game of claim 1, in which the board is made up of four liketriangular sections connected to form a pyramid, and the paths on a pairof adjacent sections merge to form a single path on one section leadingto a goal at the apex of the board and the paths on the remainingsections similarly merge to form a single path on a section oppositethat carrying said first single path and leading to the same goal.

3. The game of claim 1, in which certain stations on the path haveoperatively associated penalty indicia directing further movement ofpieces moved by the chance means to said stations.

4. The game of claim 1, in which the sections are made of ferrous metaland the playing pieces are provided with permanent magnets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,264,984 Sharp May 7, 1918 1,605,703 Brown Nov. 2, 1926 1,652,851Bendtin Dec. 13, 1927 1,787,521 Harrington Jan. 6, 1931 1,888,980Gingledine Nov. 29, 1932 2,282,871 Malbon May 12, 1942 2,298,998 AlbostaOct. 13, 1942 2,577,961 Graves Dec. 11, 1951

